135: Chapter 135 Over a Thousand Hostages

At nine in the morning, Song Yang woke up.

He moved subconsciously, only to feel his arm being pillowed by something soft.

He tilted his head slightly, and Yang Yueqi's sleeping face came into view. Her long eyelashes, like two small fans, fluttered with her even breathing, and the corners of her mouth held a hint of a satisfied smile.

Song Yang looked up and found someone sitting in front of the bed.

Zhang Xinmei was holding a glass of water, looking at the two people on the bed with a playful expression.

"Awake?"

Before Song Yang could respond, he felt his abdomen tighten.

Zhang Xinmei reached out her finger and pinched his well-defined abdominal muscles.

"Tsk tsk, Song Yang, you really are something."

She drew out her tone, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Song Yang and the still-sleeping Yang Yueqi.

"You're wearing that poor little girl out all by yourself, not even considering how we feel."

Feeling the tingling sensation in his abdomen, Song Yang forced a smile and said:

"If Sister Xin also wants to, we can do it together; I have no objections."

Zhang Xinmei's face flushed slightly, and she immediately reached out and pinched Song Yang's thigh again, with a bit more force than before.

"You're getting more and more improper!"

"Get up quickly, someone is looking for you outside."

Song Yang stood up naked and began to put on his clothes.

Zhang Xinmei observed him with great interest, as if admiring a work of art.

"Your physique is getting better and better."

Zhang Xinmei's gaze was bold and direct, "No wonder you can make that little girl so infatuated."

Song Yang picked up a clean T-shirt, pulled it on, and then grabbed his trousers, moving with agility.

He glanced at Zhang Xinmei, "If it weren't good, why would Sister Xin have let me stay the night at your place back then, and even run into my room to do those embarrassing things to me?"

"Go to hell!"

Zhang Xinmei spat, but there was no sign of shame or anger on her face; instead, her eyes danced with charm.

"I knew you weren't asleep back then, you were just pretending."

Song Yang smiled, wrapped his arm around the woman's soft waist, and kissed her:

"Alright, let's talk business, who is looking for me?"

Zhang Xinmei pointed outside the door:

"A big guy, says you know him."

Thunderstorm?

Song Yang walked out of the Villa.

Outside the door, a burly figure was indeed standing there; it was none other than Thunderstorm.

"Brother Song, I finally found you!"

"What happened?"

Thunderstorm rubbed his head and chuckled:

"It's the Old Director himself; he wants to invite Brother Song over."

"He says it's to discuss the big matter of dealing with that bastard Du Yaohua!"

"Invite me?"

Song Yang explained, "You should know that I killed Du Yaohua's precious son. He probably wants to skin me alive right now. If I go to the Shelter now, isn't that walking right into a trap, delivering myself to him to be chopped up?"

Upon hearing this, Thunderstorm hurriedly explained:

"Don't worry, Brother Song! We received confirmed news that that old guy Du Yaohua took his most capable men and went down into the cave beneath the town last night!"

"He can't concern himself with matters on the surface, and he can't come back!"

"The Old Director said that now is the best opportunity for us to meet and discuss a strategy! If we miss this chance, we'll never get it again!"

"And rest assured," Thunderstorm patted his chest, "this is a secret meeting. The number of people who know about it, including you, can be counted on two hands, and they are all absolutely trustworthy people."

Song Yang was no fool. He knew that, given his current strength, he was likely not yet a match for Du Yaohua.

If he could join forces with the Old Director, it would undoubtedly increase his chances of winning.

However, the risks involved were also significant.

If the news leaked, it would be very easy for him to become a turtle in a jar.

But, wealth is sought in danger.

To completely eliminate Du Yaohua, a person who could threaten his safe house, relying solely on his own development was not enough.

"Alright." Song Yang nodded, "I'll go with you."

"Great!"

Thunderstorm's face showed joy, "Brother Song is truly straightforward!"

The two got into a jeep and started heading out of the city.

Inside the vehicle, Song Yang glanced at Thunderstorm and asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time:

"Since Du Yaohua took his most capable men down into the cave, the Shelter should be at its most vulnerable right now. Why doesn't the Old Director take this opportunity to clear out his forces in the Shelter?"

Thunderstorm scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"Sigh, Brother Song, there are things you don't know."

"It's not that the Old Director doesn't want to, it's that he can't."

"That old dog Du Yaohua, I don't know where he got a mysterious object."

"Damn it, that old dog used that thing to unknowingly control many people in the Shelter! We roughly estimate at least over two thousand ordinary people!"

"If we clear out Du Yaohua's forces, it means we have to personally kill those thousands of controlled ordinary people. They are all innocent and don't even know when they were controlled."

"The Old Director, in order to save the lives of these people, has always been afraid to act, watching helplessly as that bastard Du Yaohua grows in power within the Shelter, seizing power step by step."

"Otherwise, why do you think the two sides haven't fallen out yet? It's because the Old Director holds the military power, and Du Yaohua holds the hostages!"

Song Yang suddenly understood.

This was indeed a thorny problem.

If Du Yaohua were simply using benefits to control his subordinates, that would be easy to handle.

But once it involves such bizarre control methods, and affects a large number of ordinary survivors, things become complicated.

He could understand the Old Director's feelings.

If it were him, having to order the slaughter of thousands of innocent ordinary people would definitely not be an easy decision.

No wonder Du Yaohua dared to leave the Shelter to go out without worrying about his base being taken.

Thousands of hostages were his greatest confidence!

The jeep turned and twisted, finally stopping at the back door of an abandoned factory.

The heavy iron door was laboriously pulled open a crack by Thunderstorm, revealing a pitch-black entrance.

"Brother Song, sorry for the inconvenience; this is a secret tunnel we dug that leads directly inside the Shelter. Not many people know about it."

Thunderstorm explained and crawled in first.

Song Yang nodded and followed, bending down to enter.

After passing through narrow tunnels for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up.

Behind an inconspicuous small alloy door was a small room.

The meeting room was not large, and the furnishings were extremely simple.

An iron table was placed in the center, and besides the gray-haired old man at the head of the table, three men in military uniforms were sitting at the table, all with straight backs and solemn expressions.

"Director, I've brought Brother Song!"

Thunderstorm stepped forward, saluted, and spoke in a loud voice.

The old man waved his hand, signaling Thunderstorm that there was no need for formalities, and turned his gaze to Song Yang:

"Comrade Song Yang, welcome, you must have had a hard journey."

"You are too polite, Director."

Song Yang responded neither humbly nor arrogantly, his gaze quickly sweeping over the other three officers present.

These three were all around forty years old, clearly officers in important positions.

"Sit down." The Old Director pointed to an empty seat next to the iron table.

"Time is tight, so let's skip the pleasantries."

The Old Director placed his hands folded on the table, "I'm sure Thunderstorm has already mentioned Du Yaohua's actions to you on the way. He has taken his main force down into the cave now, which is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us."

Song Yang nodded: "Du Yaohua used a mysterious object to control a large number of ordinary people; this is a trouble."

An officer with a square face sitting on the Old Director's left side said in a deep voice:

"It's more than just trouble! It's a tumor! Those controlled people are no different from normal people on a daily basis, and you can't tell at all, but once Du Yaohua gives the order, they will become fearless puppets! Many of the Director's confidants were beaten to death by the common people!"

"Mind your tone," the Old Director glanced at the man.

The square-faced officer took a deep breath, nodded, and said no more, but the anger in his eyes did not dissipate.

The Old Director looked at Song Yang again:

"I know you must be very curious why Du Yaohua can control thousands of puppets but doesn't act directly. That's because most of the soldiers in the Shelter still listen to my orders. Without absolute certainty, he dares not act!"

"The reason we invited you here is that we have evaluated that you are currently the only one who might be able to get rid of Du Yaohua, or rather, get rid of that 'mysterious object' of his, without causing large-scale hostage casualties."